Tag Archives: African American Teachers

Educator, suffragist, and community activist Sadie Adams of Chicago, Illinois

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Sadie Adams

Educator, suffragist, and community activist Sadie Adams of Chicago, Illinois.

Many hardworking educators dedicate their expertise and energy towards improving the lives of all Americans. One of these was Sadie Adams, a school teacher from Virginia who also worked towards securing the vote for women.

Sadie was born in Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia, on February 24, 1872, just seven years after the end of the Civil War. She was one of three children born to William and Fanny (Moseby) Lewis. Sadie attended public schools in Staunton. After her high school graduation, she enrolled in Hartshorn Memorial College located in Richmond, Virginia. She earned her teaching certificate at Hartshorn.

After her college graduation, Sadie inaugurated her career as an educator in the Staunton Public School system. Her work as a teacher continued until she married James P. Adams in 1892. The union produced three children.

Once her children were grown, the couple moved to Chicago in 1910. Once settled there, Sadie launched herself into community improvement activities. She served as the recording secretary for the Home Missionary Society, and did volunteer work at Provident Hospital, where she weighed and recorded vital statistics on infants. She served as the treasurer of Chicago’s Inter-Racial Cooperative Committee, an organization which conducted fundraising to support the Amanda Smith Industrial School for Girls located in Harvey, Illinois. In fact, Sadie was one of the founders of that school. Later she served as a trustee on that institution’s school board.

When World War I erupted, Sadie’s only son enlisted in the military. While her son was abroad fighting on the front lines, the former teacher volunteered at the State Council of Defense, an organization that enlisted women to aid in the war effort.

Once the war was over, Sadie threw her energy into earning the right to vote for women. She served on Chicago’s Election Board, and she was one of the founders of the Douglas League of Women Voters. In 1916, the Alpha Suffrage Club, the first African American suffrage organization in Chicago, selected her to serve as their delegate to the National Equal Rights League Conference. In addition, Sadie was elected president of the Chicago and Northern District Association of Colored Women’s Clubs in 1921. She served in this capacity until 1934. In April, 1922, Sadie was selected y the National League of Women Voters to be a delegate at the convention of the Pan-American Congress. When she attended the gathering in Baltimore, Maryland, she was the only African American delegate to represent Illinois.

This remarkable educator passed away on July 30, 1945, at the age of 73. She is interred at Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Cook County, Illinois.

Congrats to 2019 National Teacher of the Year: Virginia’s Rodney Robinson!

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I’ve previously written about Chalkboard Champion Rodney Robinson, a high school social studies teacher at the Virgie Binford Education Center in Richmond, Virginia. Rodney works with students who live inside the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center. Clearly I am not the only one inspired by his story, as he was just named the 2019 National Teacher of the Year! Congratulations, Rodney!

To learn more about this remarkable educator, view the video below, aired yesterday on ABC Channel 2 CBS This Morning, where Rodney was interviewed by the show’s anchors, Gayle King, Norah O’Donnell, and John Dickerson:

Beloved educator Derrick Nelson succumbs to bone marrow donation procedure

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Derrick Nelson

Beloved New Jersey principal Dr. Derrick Nelson succumbed last Sunday from complications sustained when he underwent a procedure to donate life-saving bone marrow to a 14-year-old teenage boy in France.

Students and teachers at Westfield Public High School in New Jersey are mourning the loss of their beloved principal, Dr. Derrick Nelson, this week. Derrick passed away last Sunday from complications sustained while he was undergoing a procedure to donate bone marrow. Through the Be the Match organization, the life-saving bone marrow was given to a 14-year-old teenage boy in France.

The educational community has been enriched by the presence of Chalkboard Hero Dr. Derrick Nelson, and his loss will be keenly felt. Students remember their principal for supporting students at games, plays and concerts, and for the impact he left on those around him. “He always tried to inspire students in the classroom and outside to be good people,” expressed Senior Class President Jackson O’Brien in an interview with ABC 7. “And I think he served as a great role model.”  Derrick’s father, Willie Nelson, agrees. “He was the type of guy to take the shirt off his back and give it to you,” Willie remembers. “He was very good at everything he did. He gave 100 percent of his life to education.”

Derrick earned his Bachelor’s Degree at Mass Communications and Media Studies from Delaware State University in 1997. He earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration at St. Peter’s College in 2003. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration in Seton Hall University in 2013. Derrick also served 25 years in the US Army Reserves, and had recently re-enlisted. His military service included an assignment in the Middle East.

Medical professionals emphasize that, while any medical procedure carries some degree of risk, death from bone marrow donation procedures are extremely rare.

Rodney Robinson: Virginia’s 2019 Teacher of the Year

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In our country, we are so fortunate that there are many exceptional and inspirational educators in our schools. One of these is Rodney Robinson, a history teacher at Virgie Binford Education Center in Richmond, Virginia. Rodney has been named the 2019 Virginia Teacher of the Year.

Rodney has taught in Richmond Public Schools for 19 years, the last four years at Virgie Binford Binford is a school inside of the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center. Rodney once revealed that he became a teacher to honor his mother, who struggled to earn an education after being denied schooling as a child due to segregation and poverty in rural Virginia. 

For his work with juvenile offenders, Rodney has earned many accolades. In addition to the Virginia Teacher of the Year honor, he garnered  the REB Award for Teaching Excellence. He is a member of Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s Education Compact Team, which includes politicians, educators, business leaders, and community leaders, and is working with city leaders and local colleges to recruit under-represented male teachers into the field of education. He has also worked with Pulitzer Award winning author James Foreman on developing curriculum units on race, class, and punishment as a part of the Yale Teacher’s Institute.

Rodney says he is very grateful for the recognition. “I want to thank my students,” Rodney said when he accepted the award, “My students are the most vulnerable kids in society. They have succumbed to the pressure of urban living and made mistakes that they are paying for, but they still persevere and strive for success,” he expressed. “They are my inspiration, and I will fight to my last heart beat for them.”

Rodney earned his Bachelor’s degree in History and his Master’s degree in Educational Administration and Supervision, both from Virginia Commonwealth University.